• 40 not out  –  a silent stalwart

Walking past the perennial green of Campbell Park on any day a lucky pedestrian or a visitor would be able to spot a pint-sized man in his oversized shirt and pants tucked into a three-quarter length staring into the horizon, tidying up the grand old pavilion or perusing the centre wicket mending to the needs of Wesley’s sportsmen.

In Tamil and Sinhalese languages ‘Raja’ means – The King –  and our protagonist has undoubtedly provided a right royal service to Wesley College Colombo, especially its cricket and all of her sporting activities as a loyal groundsman for 40 long years.

The Daily Morning sat down with Ramajayam Rajendran fondly known as ‘Raja’ on a gloomy evening beside the famous train carriage (Kochchi Pettiya) at the Old Wesleyites Sports Club. In the vicinity were the 1st XI cricket team preparing for their traditional Cartman Cup fixture against St. Benedict’s College and the 1st XV rugby football team scrummaging for the forthcoming schools rugby knockouts. We were able to catch up with Raja to reminisce about the good old days of the beginning of his career at Wesley’s sporting pride – Campbell Park and his life and times at the school in Karlsruhe Gardens where he assisted generations of athletes to step into national and international sporting arenas.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

 Raja, tell us a little about your beginnings?

I was born on the 7 June 1964 in the central hills of Nawalapitiya. Even though I was named Ramajayam Rajandran everyone knows and calls me Raja.

Walk us through your early days at Wesley?

I stepped into Wesley in 1985 as a 21-year-old young man and was enrolled into the college support staff during the Principalship of Dr. Lou Adhihetty (first Ceylonese to win the Hockey 'Blue' at Cambridge University) but fate as it is I was later transferred to Campbell Park in 1986 to serve in the ground staff. At that time my first salary was Rs. 30 per day.

 How was Campbell Park during your shift from College to the grounds?

Former Ceylon wicket-keeper and celebrated old boy, Russell Hamer was the curator of the grounds when I joined and M.A.P. Fernando who later went onto become Vice Principal and Principal of Wesley was Prefect of Games (PoG). I fondly recall how M.A.P. Fernando fondly known as M.A.P. sir supported me in many ways during his long-lasting service at the school. Those days the ground used to be much smaller with a matting wicket facing the pavilion, but today the ground is much better and neat, but I really miss the humongous ‘Sal’ tree which was an iconic memory for generations of Wesleyites. My contemporaries as ground staff were the husband and wife duo Lathaa (Lathaa aunty) and Kularatne (Baas Unnahey) Rathnasiri, Silva, and Peiris (Peera).

Serving at the grounds from my early 20s I naturally became ‘Raja Aiya’ to the seniors and later ‘Raja uncle’ to the little ones. I became familiar to any sportsman who walked through the gates and the century old pavilion at Campbell Park during the past few decades. We are there to support our students on and off the field. Back in the day, I was entrusted with the duties of opening the gates of the park which also made me no stranger to the college premises as I had to collect the gate keys from the college main office.

The passion and love towards the game, how was it when you joined Wesley?

Back in the day when our boys suffered a loss at Campbell Park even the seniors used to go inside the dressing room, shut the door and cry like little kids. Such was the passion, commitment, and love for College the boys had deeply rooted in them.

Occasionally spotted trimming the Principal’s bungalow lawn and the overgrown grass at the college premises wearing a pair of withered cricket pads and a college cap he would be guilty of compromising his productivity to ensure the safety of the students walking by. Being naturally a silent personality, he would enjoy a casual conversation, especially on sports with the students and would share his past experiences about senior/past sportsmen who excelled at Wesley.

How was work at Campbell Park?

The pitch preparation at Campbell Park was delegated to me, moving the heavy metal roller up and down the length of the cricket pitch was not an uncommon sight, especially on match days. One gentleman called Alagusamy trained me to prepare turf wickets after Wesley switched from the matting wicket. I also helped the young cricketers with seasoning their bats and mending to their needs when it came to cricketing gear.

With my bare minimum knowledge of the sport, I'd attempt to give every sportsman at Wesley some insight to improve their game. I often cherished a good conversation with the cricketers regarding their sport. I think It was mostly the cricketers who benefited from my service. Children came to me to season their bats, bind them with thread, and even put the bat grips for all cricketers regardless of age.

Carrying onto the field in both hands, collecting bottles of water, filled from the pavilion tap during drink breaks at Campbell Park for both teams and the umpires is something I take immense pride in.

 We heard that you’re the Go-to-Man for anything and everything at Campbell Park, why is that?

I’m not quite sure about the statement of I’m the ‘Go-to-Man’, but whether it be athletic equipment, an extra football, rugger ball, a cricket bat or ball was always kept under my watch for the sportsmen to borrow to play leisurely after their practices. The children always used to return them back with utmost respect.

How else were you involved with the sporting activities?

I used to also travel with the rugby team for matches, occasionally shouldering the weight of the tackling bags or equipment bags for the pre-match warm-up. The sports meet and other events meant that I’d have extra duties. I believe that there might not be a single inch at Campbell Park that my feet have not stepped on.

Were you also the night watchman at the grounds?

Unlike present-day, there were no security guards at Campbell Park back then. For almost 15 years since 1986, I spent many a night at the majestic pavilion and played the role of night-watchman by default. During that decade and a half, I got my meals from the College Hostel. They were some of the glory days of the hostel when it used to flourish with many a tradition kept alive and the special dinner on Wednesday attended by the principal with a sumptuous meal, I recall having fried rice and later ice cream for dessert. The ever-so-hungry boarders at the hostel were dressed neatly and looked forward to this special meal. The hostel culture at Wesley thrived back then with a lot of kids with a baby dorm with matrons and many eventful happenings, ah those were the days.

 How was life at Campbell Park after marriage?

In 1999 I entered married life and settled down in Kolonnawa. But some say my first love will always be the good old Campbell park. Little does the Wesley fraternity know about Raja’s daily walk from home to Campbell Park and vice-versa every day since he got married. He says that keeps him fit and it's merely part and parcel of his day-to-day routine.

Any special mention on your journey at Wesley?

I think I am very fortunate to serve a place which is steeped in a rich heritage and its alumni are some of the most generous and humble group of people who treat you with respect and care.

I wholeheartedly would like to thank the Class of 1996 and many other batches for their painstaking work, the Old Boys Union, and well-wishers from across the world for the support rendered towards fully repairing my dilapidated house coinciding with my 25 years of service at Wesley in 2010. Special thanks should go to Ranjith Senanayake – ‘Senanayake Sir’, former champion athlete and staff member for spreading the word amongst the old boys about the dire situation of my humble abode. I am also eternally grateful for all the old boys who collected funds to pay off the hospital bills for my second daughter's heart surgery.

 What were your involvements off the field?

At times I used to work at the OWSC (Old Wesleyites Sports Club) after my duties at the grounds and there I was again caught up with plenty of senior and junior old boys who patronised the clubhouse and was often pulled into nostalgic conversations. I joined the OWSC staff in the latter part of the 90s, upon the request of then President the mercurial L.R. 'Lucky' Goonetilleke, considered one of the best left-arm fast bowlers, Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) has produced. I retired serving at the clubhouse in 2021.

Who are exceptional players you’ve seen gracing the green of Campbell Park?

Well definitely Wesley’s International cricketing star Farveez Maharoof’s name comes to my mind, followed by many top guns of the late 80s and 90s in the likes of Duminda Nissanka, who excelled in multiple sports, Danesh Dissanayake, Roshan David, and Darshika Jayakody to name a few. I am very sad even to date to not see Darshika Jayakody wear the national cap. Jayakody is Wesley’s highest century scorer with eight tons under his name, followed by Roshan David and Danesh Dissanayake.

And I cannot forget the great coaches we had at Wesley, Milroy Muthuvaloe, late Sridharan Jeganathan, and Bandula Warnapura (first Test captain of SL). I was really touched and deeply honoured when Bandula Warnapura attended my wedding ceremony.

Your most memorable moments in life at Campbell Park?

It’s a never ending list, and it is hard to recollect a four-decade story. However, winning the Sir Frank Gunasekera Shield which is second oldest schools cricket encounter in Sri Lanka in 2012 against Royal College after 43 years led by Ashen Fonseka and the routing of S.Thomas’ College Mt. Lavinia in 2022 after 50 years under Sahil Dias to bring home the Mahadevan Sathasivam Trophy to its rightful home, were some of the most memorable events I had seen.

Many stories have been told about this humble servant of Wesley and many more stories will be told. What is mentioned here is a tiny drop in a vast ocean of memories spanning more than 40 years. Raja will always be a legend of Wesley and at its sporting pride the Campbell Park. He has been the crown jewel of Wesley's sporting staff, seeing the decades roll by, and stood a stalwart custodian of its proud heritage. Ramajayam Rajendran continues his legacy as the uncrowned prince of Campbell Park since 1986.

The Tooth debacle

Now in a rather humorous tale of events narrated to us by a prominent President’s Counsel; the story dates back to 1986 soon as Raja assumed duties at Campbell Park during a match when Farman Cassim captained the Under-15 team, Manoj de Silva after scoring a century called for water and Raja was ready to run with water bottles in one hand holding the sarong in another. A few unnamed rascals pulled his sarong and he fumbled and fell right in front of the pavilion. This incident left a permanent memory in Raja as he lost a part of his front tooth.

The aforementioned narrator remembered their honorary coach, former Wesleyite and Ceylon Schools best-fielder in 1962 Sarath Wickramaratne who is now an avid golfer.

The above tale gets interesting as Dharshana Liyanage from the same team recalled an incident where he was batting in a practice match against SSC. His batting partner Waheed needed some ice to attend to an injury so Raja while rushing with the ice in one hand and sarong in the other tripped and fell right in the middle of the pavilion, the culprit being the steps near the washroom.